Dead in the Water
by boswifedeb
Summary: An explosion at the Marcos Marina and a call from Fire Investigator Rich Holt not only give Matt some valuable on the job experience but set him on the trail of a killer or killers; but a reminder that he's only human slows down his investigation. **Immediately follows "Dead Man Holdin'"** Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

"**Dead in the Water"**

****Immediately follows "Dead Man Holdin'"****

"**Fame doesn't fulfill you. It warms you a bit,**

**but that warmth is temporary."**

**Marilyn Monroe**

**CHAPTER 1**

Private investigator Matt Houston groaned as he reached over to the bedside table for his ringing cell phone. "Houston."

"Hey, it looks like I'm gonna need some help. We've got a hellacious fire at the Marcos Marina." Fire Investigator Rich Holt was approaching the area of the marina and could already see the light from the fire turning the 2:00AM sky to shades of flickering orange and red with clouds of black smoke billowing up.

"Yeah Rich – be there ASAP." Matt put down the phone and began dressing. He grabbed a pair of desert camo BDUs and put them on along with a black t-shirt and his duty boots.

"What happened?" CJ Parsons-Houston was wide awake now and sitting up in the middle of their bed.

"The Marcos Marina is on fire – pretty bad from what he said." Out of habit, Matt pulled his Glock out of the drawer beside the bed and checked the load before donning a ball cap. "Love you, Babe. I'll call you later." He leaned over and kissed her before striding out of the room.

"Love you, Cowboy – and be careful."

"Yes ma'am." The PI yawned as he went down the hall toward the kitchen door, grabbing his black leather jacket off of the back of the chair where he had left it three hours earlier. He had spent most of his day helping his best friend Michael Hoyt deal with a hostage situation and had gotten to bed about 11:30.

Driving to the marina he could see the sky was lit up from quite a distance away. He spoke out loud. "Rich was right – hellacious seems to be the right term."

When he got to the scene, Matt donned his turnout gear and checked in with Mark Weston, a battalion chief for the Los Angeles Fire Department. "Howdy, Chief." The PI stifled a yawn.

"Glad to see Rich called you in. We've got one hell of a mess here." Weston pointed to the southern end of the scene. "A witness says there was an explosion from section C of the marina. That part is pretty well destroyed. When it blew, the other boats in that area went up as well. Falling debris started fires on section B and all the way over on section E up at the north end. Rich wants you to take that section and document it and then move on down to where he is at the other end."

"Yes sir." Matt turned and headed toward the northernmost section at a jog. The flames had been put out and three firefighters were looking for hotspots. "Hey fellas, did y'all happen to see what got blown down here and ignited this section?"

"Sure did." One of the men pointed out what was left of a section of top deck seating. "Did a real number on it. We got the flames out but I bet this boat is totaled."

"I'd say you're right." Matt began taking pictures and recording notes, spending about fifteen minutes on the area before heading down to the southern end of the marina where the fire was still actively being attacked. He caught sight of Rich who was down on one knee looking into the water with a worried expression on his face. "Is somebody down there?" The PI knelt down next to him having to yell above the combined noise of the crews working the blaze, the noise from the fire itself, and the noise from the equipment being used.

"Yeah – Rod Jessup; he's one of our divers. His com-link must have gone out." As the words left his mouth a rush of bubbles came to the surface. "Damn!"

"Not good.' Matt started stripping out of his gear, handing his clipboard to the startled captain next to him.

"You can't go in there!"

"Sure I can." Matt took a deep breath and dove into the cold water. Oil and fuel were floating on the surface and he kept his eyes closed until he was well under it. The fire burning up above gave a strange glow under the water. Feeling his muscles reacting to the cold temperature of the water, Matt saw Jessup and struck out for the captain. Part of an engine had fallen on his left leg and he was trapped. Looking around, the PI found a metal beam from the dock that had fallen into the water and managed to wedge it under the engine and lift enough so that Jessup could free his leg. Putting his right arm around the diver, he helped him to the surface. As they broke the surface of the water, Matt released the breath he had been holding, immediately sucking in fresh air as he and Jessup worked their way over to where Rich was waiting. After pulling the injured diver out of the water Holt helped Matt back onto the dock.

"EMTs are on the way." Rich and Matt began taking a look at Jessup's leg. "Think you broke it, Rod."

"Guess you've been a bad influence on him, huh?" Matt ribbed his friend who had suffered a broken leg the past November.

"Nope – not my fault." The two stepped aside as the paramedics approached.

"Man, I don't know who in the hell you are, but thanks. I thought I was gonna be fish food."

"This is Houston – the one I was telling you about yesterday."

The two men shook hands. "Hell of a way to meet, huh?" Matt was wearing a big grin.

"You better go with these guys." Rich motioned to the paramedics.

"Let me get dried off and changed. I'll be right back." Matt got a blanket from the ambulance and dried off at his truck before changing into a pair of jeans and a fresh t-shirt. As he sat on the edge of the truck and put on socks and another pair of duty boots he was approached by a familiar face – none other than Sgt. Larry Carlisle.

"Heard you earned a hot cup of coffee and a charge of indecent exposure."

"Huh, CJ thinks I look decent enough."

The veteran cop gave the PI a smile. "Good thing O'Dunkers stays open 24/7. I picked this baby up as the call came through." He handed the cup to Matt as he finished zipping his boots.

"Larry, I don't think I've ever been so happy to see your ugly mug." Gratefully he took a sip of the coffee.

"I don't know what the water temp is out there tonight but I bet certain parts of your anatomy won't come back out for a while."

"You're right." The two shared a laugh. "I gotta get back down there, bud. Thanks – I owe you one." Matt continued to sip on the coffee on the way back down to the remnants of the dock and met back up with Rich, took back the clipboard, and the two continued to work the scene. The fire had been put out and the extent of the carnage was becoming more evident.

"I think we need to get back in the water, Rich. What's left of the boat from C-3 is down below."

"Guess we'll have to get a diver from the Coasties; LAPD's are tied up right now. Said it will be a couple of hours before they can get anybody here." Rich looked at his watch. It was 4:10AM.

"Why get 'em from the Coast Guard?" Houston followed him back to where their vehicles were parked.

"With Rod down we…" The captain stopped in his tracks. "Are you a diver?"

"Since I was 14."

"Well I guess you're it then."

"Let me give CJ a call and see if she can bring my gear down here." It was then that he remembered. "Oops, killed another phone."

Laughing, Holt handed his over to the man and turned to talk to Mark Weston about what they had found so far.

"Rich, is he okay?" CJ answered sounding scared.

"It's me, Babe. Easy."

"Oh, thank God." She let out a breath of relief. "Don't tell me you killed another phone." She smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Yup, guilty. Could I get you to grab my diving gear out of the closet?"

"Do you have any idea how cold that water is right now?"

"Unfortunately I do; I was in it earlier."

"Oh boy." She got out of the bed and headed for the closet, pulling out the gear bag that contained his wet suit, fins and other gear. "What about a tank? You never replaced your old one."

"There's one here." He thought for a minute. "Tell you what…" Lowering his voice he looked around. "See if you can get Bo or Lamar to bring it down here. You need to go back to bed." He knew there was a good chance that she was pregnant.

"Hon, I'm fine. And there's no way I can go back to sleep. I'll see you in a little bit. Love you."

"Love you. Be careful." He hung up and took the phone back to Rich. "Thanks, bud. CJ's gonna bring my gear down but I need a tank."

"No problem. There should be a couple in Rod's Yukon. Got the keys right here." He jingled the set.

Weston stuck his hand out to the PI. "I want to thank you for getting Rod out of that jam."

Shaking the offered hand, Matt gave him a smile. "I'm sure he would have done the same for me."

The three watched as the units on the scene began rolling up their hoses and leaving. "Might as well bring your truck down closer." Weston turned to look at Matt.

"Alright. Think I'm going to crank up the heater and warm up a little, too." As he approached the truck he looked up to see crews from four different TV stations covering the fire, including Tamara Placer. The blonde reporter tried to cross the caution tape and was immediately removed by Larry Carlisle, for which Matt was grateful. For some reason that he couldn't fathom, the reporter seemed to turn up no matter where he was.

Matt climbed inside the truck, moved it down closer and turned the heat on. There was a tap on the passenger side window and Rich opened the door.

"Mind if I join you?"

"No, come on in." He yawned.

"Sorry to get you out of bed again."

"It wouldn't have been so bad if I had been there a couple of hours longer." The PI grinned. "Finally got my butt in the bed at 11:30." He yawned again. "Why does stuff always happen in the middle of the night? That's when Michael calls me half the time."

"My granddad had a saying: _"Nothing good ever happens after midnight."_ He was right, too." The pair talked on for a while until CJ parked next to the truck. "Ah, your better half is here."

The two men rolled out of the truck, Matt yawning once again before giving his wife a kiss on the cheek and walking to the hatch of the Navigator. "How's it going, Rich?" CJ gave the captain a big smile.

"Pretty good. Sorry to disturb you so early."

"Nah, I was awake." She watched her husband remove some of the gear and walk toward the front of the SUV, opening a door on it and one on the truck.

"Figured I better make a changing room; Larry threatened to arrest me for indecent exposure earlier." He chuckled as he once again began stripping.

"You look more than decent to me." She gave him a big smile and wiggled her eyebrows.

"I told him you'd say that." Matt got into the suit and zipped up the back before closing the doors and emerging, going to the hatch once more and retrieving his fins and mask. "Gonna stick around?"

"Sure." She walked with him as he pulled a tank out of Rod's SUV and got everything connected.

Mark Weston came over and Matt introduced the two. "It's nice to put a face with a voice." The lawyer laughed.

"Same here." Turning to the two men he spoke again. "I'm going to head out. Let me know how it goes, will you?" He and Matt shook hands again. "And thanks again, Houston."

"No problem, Chief." Matt put the tank on his back and headed for what was left of the dock while carrying an underwater video camera.

"Be careful, Cowboy." She couldn't help but worry about him.

"I will, Babe." He listened as Rich explained the camera operation, flipped on the light for him and then watched as Matt entered the water. Booms had been put out in an effort to keep the oil and fuel that were still left from contaminating any more water.

Rich opened up a laptop and after a few keystrokes an image of the wreckage appeared on the screen. The captain whistled. "That's a lot of money shot to hell."

"They were talking about it on the radio saying that there was an explosion."

Rich nodded his head in the direction of the marina's office. "A security guard says that somebody took off in a boat a few minutes before."

"I'm sure people come and go out here at all hours."

"Uh huh, but this one was leaving at full throttle – and this is a no-wake area. He said they were really scooting. What is he doing?"

Matt had turned the camera toward himself and was signaling. After watching for a few seconds CJ knew what he meant. "He says there are three bodies down there."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Matt resurfaced a couple of minutes later. "I just got off the phone with LAPD – they're sending out two divers to help with removing the bodies. They want you to go ahead and document the scene." Rich gave him a big smile. "And guess who's on his way?"

"Hoyt?" The PI bobbed in the water as Rich nodded. "Tell him to bring coffee." With that he replaced the mask, checked the regulator and disappeared once again.

The fire investigator pulled out his phone and gave Michael the message, laughing as he hung up. "Those two are something else."

"Be glad you weren't around them a few years ago." She laughed at Rich's puzzled expression. "They used to fight like cats and dogs."

"Huh, you'd never know it today." He got quiet as he watched Matt methodically film and then mark items to be retrieved. "You know he's really good at this."

"He had a good teacher: there's no telling how many crime scenes he's watched Cheryl Crawford process. You can't help but pick it up."

Just shy of twenty minutes later Matt resurfaced and handed the camera back to Rich as Hoyt pulled up flanked by the two divers. The cop walked over and squatted down in front of Matt. "So you think you rate special delivery now, PI?"

"No, but if you want to trade places I'll gladly make a coffee run."

"No thanks. Aren't you going to come out?"

"And have the breeze hit me? No way." He gratefully took the cup from his friend and took a long swallow of the coffee as the divers got ready. "Looks like we've got the ME's folks here." He nodded in the direction of the parking area where two more vehicles had pulled in. Handing the cup back to Michael he thanked him.

The two divers approached and joined Matt and together they removed the bodies. Matt climbed out of the water. "Are you all done, hon?" CJ watched as he shook his head.

"Time for another tank." He handed the used one to Rich who popped it on his shoulder and swapped it with a fresh one from Jessup's SUV. The PI hooked it up and went back down with the two LAPD divers to hook up the remains of the boat so that it could be hoisted out.

By 8:00AM the recovery efforts were over. The three divers exited the water and this time Matt changed in the back of the van that the divers were working out of before approaching Michael and Rich. "Did the ME's assistant have anything to say?"

"Yeah, the female appears to have been strangled, the younger guy was shot and they think the older guy was hit over the head with something." Michael closed his notebook. "Rich and I are about to interview the security guard."

"Sounds like a plan. I'm going to grab a shower at the office and I'll catch up with y'all." He wrapped an arm around CJ and headed for his truck.

"He's going to be getting a surprise." Rich smiled as he and Hoyt headed to their vehicles.

"Uh oh."

"No, it's good. Chief Weston is putting him in for a commendation."

"Oh? Why?" Hoyt pulled out his keys and watched as Matt gave CJ a kiss and closed the door on the Navigator before sliding behind the wheel of his truck.

"He didn't tell you?"

"No."

"He saved one of our guys earlier. Capt. Rod Jessup. His leg got trapped under an engine down there. Houston jumped in and got it off of him and brought him topside. He wasn't in diving gear."

"Damn." Hoyt smiled and shook his head. "See you at the station."

At the Houston Industries Building, Matt and CJ exited the elevator hand in hand and after saying good morning to their secretary Chris, he headed downstairs to shower and change clothes.

CJ came down as he was getting dressed. "Michael and Rich are on the way over – they want to research the victims. Hoyt's already sent over what he had record-wise for one of the men." She watched as her husband nodded. "You might be interested to know who the woman was."

He stood up and straightened the legs of his jeans over the tops of his boots and began fastening his pants and belt buckle. "Oh? Who was she?"

"Tessa Holmes." CJ picked a piece of lint off the back of his shirt as he rolled up the sleeves a couple of turns.

"Tessa Holmes." He thought as he put his wallet and keys in his pockets. "Oh yeah, she was in that teen-aged soap opera thing wasn't she?"

"Yep." She handed him a replacement phone before starting up the stairs as Matt followed, his stomach rumbling. Both walked over to the bar and Matt smiled when he spied the pastry box on the counter. "You didn't think I would let you starve did you?"

"Thanks, Babe." He followed her behind the bar, wrapping his arms around her waist before turning her to face him. In a quiet voice he asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." She smiled up at him and they kissed.

"Uh huh, should've known you'd be in here bothering that poor lady. Miss, would you like me to arrest this man?"

"Mmm nuh." She and Matt were still kissing.

"Oh Lord – it's one of _those_ days." He grinned.

Finally Matt broke the kiss and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. "Love you."

"If you'll do that for bear claws what would you do for éclairs?" CJ gave him a wicked grin, then got a shocked look on her face as he whispered something in her ear, causing the lawyer to blush. "Oh, well then next time I'll get éclairs." She laughed and turned to pour coffee as her husband gave a low chuckle.

"Y'all dive in." He put a stack of napkins on the bar as he reached into the pastry box. After getting a cup of coffee the PI headed for the couch, stepping over the back and having a seat. Hoyt followed suit and sat down next to him, while Rich walked over and down the steps.

CJ spoke up. "That isn't how it's done, Rich. Watch and learn." Laughing, the lawyer walked to the back of the couch and stepped over, having a seat next to her husband.

"Pardon me." The captain went back up the steps, over the back of the couch and had a seat next to Hoyt. "Better?"

"Yep." All three answered at once. Matt opened up the computer.

"Uh huh…lemme guess…you like James Bond movies? You've got the beautiful ladies, the hot tub, the bar, and now a hidden computer."

"Jealous?" Matt held the bear claw in his teeth as he pulled up a page and typed in Tessa Holmes. Reading through the results he devoured the pastry. "Michael, you forgot to bring the box." He shot the cop a disapproving look.

"Oh, please forgive me, oh great and powerful PI." Back over the couch he went to retrieve the box. Everyone took another pastry and continued to read.

"Okay, so the ME's assistant says she was strangled. Do we know where the husband is?"

"Lee talked to the housekeeper. He's in New York. Supposed to be catching a flight back sometime today. Lee said he seemed torn up."

"Rotten way to hear something like that." Rich took another bite.

"What's his name?" Houston stuffed the rest of the bear claw in his mouth.

"Daryl Tripp – he's a screenwriter. According to the housekeeper he was interviewing for a job at one of the soap operas that film there." Michael hit the bottom of his coffee cup and went for a refill. "Rich?" He held the pot up.

"Sure." He started up the steps and the other three simultaneously gave him a buzzer sound. "Sorry." He stepped over the back of the couch.

"Much better." Matt grinned. "Daryl James Tripp, age 25, born and raised in Steubenville, Ohio. Moved to LA three years ago after graduating from college. Uh, he was hired on at the "Bellar High" show where Tessa was one of the stars. Whirlwind romance, marriage, and then the show was cancelled three months later." He leaned back drinking coffee and put an arm across the back of the couch where his wife was sitting. "Now according to what I found on Tessa, he was the main bread winner. She's only done a couple of low-budget horror movies since "Bellar High". Hmm…who were the two guys on the boat with her?"

"Ramon Firenze – worked at the marina." Rich was looking at his notes.

Houston typed in the name. "Age 25…it says here he worked there as a mechanic."

"The security guard said that he was often hired to pilot the boats of some of the members for parties and what not." Michael flipped to another page in his notebook.

"There isn't too much on him. Graduated from Tidwell High School then attended the Marine Mechanic Institute. His only living relative is a sister who…well she's a Sister at St. Martin's Convent in Carmel." He looked at Hoyt.

"Trenton talked to one of their detectives up there. He's going to make the notification."

Rich tapped his pen on his notebook. "What about Tessa Holmes? Did she have any family other than her husband?"

CJ spoke up. "I remember talk of a big rift in the family. Her mother had acted as Tessa's agent from the time she started in commercials."

"Yeah, she was the kid playing a toothbrush in the Sparkle Paste commercial, right?" Matt nodded and worked the keyboard some more. "Here it is: _Teen soap opera sensation Tessa Holmes petitioned for and was granted emancipated minor status. The young starlet has accused her mother, Samantha Holmes, and her father Barnard Holmes of embezzlement."_ So…" He hit some more keys. "Let's see what we can find out about dear old Mom and Dad. Ah hah…looks like they split up after the big ruckus. Samantha did eighteen months on the embezzlement charges and was ordered to pay back $2.6 million. Ouch. Her dad went to rehab a month after Samantha was sentenced. Doesn't look like it did much good. He died of an overdose while he was in there."

"Where is Samantha now?" CJ swatted Matt's hand as he reached for another pastry. "Here…" She pulled one out of the box and held it so he could take a bite. "We don't need a sticky keyboard again." Hoyt snickered.

"Smhut utp, mcop." With a full mouth, Matt shot a dirty look at Michael. "Mmph." He pointed to the screen and took another bite from the bear claw that CJ held.

Speaking for her husband, CJ read what was on the screen. "It looks like she's living in an apartment on Wellton." She rattled off the address.

Matt swallowed and picked up his coffee cup. "What about the other guy on the boat?" leaning toward CJ he took the last of the bear claw.

"Ted Deerfield…he's the one with a record. He got popped about thirty years ago for contributing to the delinquency of a minor for providing alcohol." Hoyt drank more coffee.

"Uh huh, here we go. Age 51. Ohhhh…that's who he is – was, whatever. He directed the horror movies that Tessa Holmes was in as well as some pornos about thirty years ago. So that's when he got the contributing charge."

Hoyt nodded. "He was one of the "actors" in a porno. Lucky for him they hadn't shot a scene when the girl's dad found them. She had lied and told them she was eighteen. Actually she was fourteen."

"Whoa." Matt shook his head. "Whose boat was it?"

"Slip C-3 was rented by Deerfield, but he didn't have a boat. He let other people use it. The owner was an Yvon Perrier from Oregon." Hoyt set the mug down on the table.

"So where is this Perrier guy?"

"Good question. The security guard we interviewed said the boat's been there for about a week but he wasn't there when it docked. I've got a call in to the Coast Guard." The cop watched as Matt continued working the keyboard.

"Alright it looks like Deerfield was a bachelor and there aren't any relatives." After a little more punching of the keys he spoke again. "I'm not seeing much on Perrier; just an address in Oregon but nothing about employment or anything else." The PI leaned back, once again putting his arm around CJ. "So – where do you want to start?"

"I think our best option right now is Samantha Holmes. We can't talk to Tripp yet and there doesn't seem to be anyone as far as Deerfield is concerned."

"Okay, so Samantha and then check out Deerfield's home and office." Matt looked over at his wife. "Feel like seeing if you can make any headway on Perrier and see about financials?"

"Sure." She closed up the computer and all four stood up. "Be careful, Cowboy."

"Yes ma'am." He kissed her. "Love you."

"Love you." She swatted his butt as he stepped up on the couch.

"Didja see that, Michael? Spousal abuse."

"Nope – didn't see a thing." He winked at CJ. "Thanks for breakfast."

"Same here." Rich nodded.

"You're more than welcome. See if you three can stay out of trouble." She rolled her eyes as all three men chuckled.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Matt stopped by his truck in the parking garage, removing his Glock and bulletproof vest. Looking somewhat surprised as his friend entered the car, Michael commented. "Expecting Samantha Holmes to get rough?"

"Nope." Settling into the passenger seat, the PI left his friend to wonder. He tilted the seat back a little.

"Comfy?"

"So-so." The PI grinned and closed his eyes. "How's my girl Kathy?"

Hoyt gave a big sigh as he answered the question about his daughter who had just turned seventeen. "She's been out three times with Nick."

"Oh boy." Matt grinned. "And?"

"She's getting great grades and hasn't been late getting home so I really can't complain I guess…but I can still hate it."

"Got a problem with the boy?"

"No, other than the fact that he's dating my baby." He heard the snicker from Matt. "You just wait until Catey starts dating – you'll understand."

"She could be dating a creep and she isn't. He gets good grades, too."

"How in the hell do you know about him?"

"Kathy told me about him before they started dating."

"Humph." Stopping at a light he looked over at his friend. "So you encouraged her, huh?"

"Nope. I'm just a sounding board, Michael. Kids can figure out all kinds of things for themselves when they have an impartial third party to talk to about what's happening."

"Impartial, huh?"

Matt opened his left eye and looked at Hoyt as he answered with a grin. "They _think_ I am." He chuckled.

"They…so Vince's boys do it, too?"

"Yup."

"Aren't you just special?" The cop's comment was dripping with sarcasm.

"'Bout time you noticed."

"Right. Up and at 'em, PI: we're here." He pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex.

Tucking the Glock into the back of his jeans, Matt yawned as he shut the car door. Rich pulled in behind them a minute later and together the three walked to the front door. Inside the building was dim and as they approached the elevator they were greeted by the sight of a repairman working on it.

"Oh, great." Hoyt groaned as they turned toward the doorway marked stairs.

Matt snickered. "Come on, Gramps – time to get some exercise." Hoyt thumped him on the back of the head.

"Too bad I didn't bring a rope." Matt took off up the stairs, Michael hot on his heels. Rich just shook his head while remembering what CJ had told him earlier about the two fighting. At the doorway for the ninth floor, the PI held it open for the other two.

Rich knocked on the door for 912 and didn't receive a response. He tried again. Still nothing. As he was about to knock a third time the door across the hall opened. "She's not home." An older woman looked at the three.

Hoyt flashed his badge. "Would you happen to know where she is?"

"What time is it?"

"10:07."

"She's at the Burger Nerd around the corner until 11:00." Before the cop could thank her the door was slammed and the deadbolt snapped into place. Shrugging, the three hit the stairs and went back down. As they walked out the front door Matt looked at Michael and grinned. "Not too bad for an old fart."

"Shut up, PI." Hoyt gave him a scowl.

"You really shouldn't do that – it'll just make those wrinkles on your forehead worse." He and Rich both cracked up.

"Not you, too?" Hoyt looked at the fire investigator who just grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

"He did give you a compliment – in a backhanded sort of way."

"Umph." The cop grumbled under his breath as he got into his car. The trip to the Burger Nerd was a quick one and they spotted the manager as they entered. "Excuse me." Hoyt flashed the badge again and asked to speak with Samantha Holmes.

"Sure. Sam? You've got company." The manager picked up a stack of trays and put them on the counter as his employee looked warily at the three men.

"Who are you?" Holmes was wiping down the counter as Michael once again showed the badge. "Look, I made my payment two days ago. They can't complain – it wasn't late this time."

"No ma'am. Would you mind?" Hoyt pointed at an empty booth.

"Go ahead, Sam – it's slow. I'll cover for you." The manager walked back behind the counter and began working on restocking the ketchup and mustard packages.

Sliding into the booth next to Rich, Samantha looked from one to the other as Michael spoke. "Ms. Holmes, I hate to be the one to tell you this but your daughter is dead." All three men looked at the woman to gauge her reaction. There wasn't much of one.

"What happened?" Holmes didn't sound upset or happy – just numb.

"She was on a boat at the Marcos Marina. It appears that there was an explosion." The veteran cop knew that Tessa had most likely been strangled but wasn't going to give anything away.

"Wow." She shook her head. "I…" Finally she started reacting. "We haven't talked in quite a while." A tear began a slow trek down her cheek and she pulled a napkin from the dispenser on the table. Dabbing at her eyes her hands began to shake and she looked across at the lieutenant. "How?" Her voice sounded choked.

"The investigation is still underway. Do you know of anyone who might have held a grudge against her?"

Smiling sadly, the woman shook her head. "I haven't talked to her since we went to court. She accused me of taking her money." Looking around at the three Holmes shook her head. "I didn't do it: Barnard did. He was my husband." She blew her nose and the tears really started flowing. "He had a drug problem and he liked to gamble. Tessa thought her daddy hung the moon. He could do no wrong. I was always the one after her to do her homework, clean her room, time to get up or go to bed. Barnard was the one who let her slide. But he loved. Her." Taking a breath she continued. "I caught Barney taking a check out of the back of one of the checkbooks. He told me that he would pay it back so I signed it. That's how they pinned the whole thing on me. When Tessa found out that money was missing, she turned on us." She shook her head. "Barney was just heartbroken. His drug use got worse. He was pawning everything he could get his hands on…even his wedding ring. When I was convicted and sent to prison he OD'd and got put into rehab."

"And he OD'd there and died." Matt spoke quietly. Samantha nodded and the tears continued to flow.

"They let me go to the funeral. He looked so old…" They gave her a minute and she reached for another napkin. "You know Tessa didn't even come say goodbye to him?"

"That had to be rough." Matt handed her a couple more napkins. "So you two didn't talk at all?"

"No. The last words she ever said to me were in court. She said she hoped I rotted in hell. That was my baby!" The woman completely lost it at that point and the three men exchanged glances, remaining silent until she calmed down.

"So she was an emancipated minor after that. Did she move into her own place?"

Holmes nodded. "She bought a house in the hills – Hollywood."

"And that's the one that she and her husband lived in?" Hoyt took over on the questions.

"Uh huh. I never got to meet him and I sure didn't get invited to the wedding."

Hoyt, Rich, and Matt exchanged looks. The cop spoke up again. "I'm really sorry that you had to hear about it like this, ma'am."

Samantha shook her head. "It isn't your fault. Actually, I lost Tessa a long time ago. When she landed the part on "Bellar High" she changed. I'm just sorry we couldn't make up."

All three men gave her their cards before leaving. Matt sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples as he sat down in Hoyt's car. The veteran cop started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot into traffic. "That was just…pitiful."

"Yeah." Both men were quiet for a moment. "So – on to Deerfield's house or office?"

"I think we should try the office first. Maybe he's got a secretary who could tell us something."

"Good point." He sat thinking quietly for a few minutes. "It occurs to me that there are only two people who might possibly benefit from Tessa's death: Samantha or Tessa's husband Daryl Tripp. And I really don't think Samantha had anything to do with it."

"I don't either. Jennings will be waiting for him when his flight arrives." The cop got quiet again.

Matt cut his eyes over at his friend. "She would never do that to you and Anne." He knew the cop was thinking about his own daughter.

"I know." Both men remained quiet on the way to Ted Deerfield's office. When they arrived the office was occupied by a big-busted blonde receptionist. After explaining why they were there the three investigators went into Deerfield's private office.

"Betcha he didn't hire her for her typing skills." Matt looked at Rich who nodded his agreement.

Hoyt went to a filing cabinet and Rich started looking through the man's appointment book. "Get the computer, PI."

Sitting down behind the desk, Matt slipped on a pair of gloves before going into the computer's files. In the documents section he found what appeared to be screenplays. He looked through a couple that were similar to the horror flops that Tessa Holmes had made. Moving on to the pictures section he wasn't surprised to find nude photos of some of the women who had "auditioned" for roles with Deerfield. The PI was pretty sure of what the videos on the computer contained considering Deerfield's past. He scanned through the titles and momentarily froze when he came to one. "Guys – you need to see this."

Rich and Michael stood next to him. "Okay…I wasn't expecting that." The fire investigator looked shocked.

"Mmph. Play it." Michael looked disgusted but not surprised as the video began playing. On the computer monitor the image of Tessa Holmes appeared. She didn't seem to know that the camera was rolling as she and Ted Deerfield discussed her career. "What's the date on this?"

"About two years ago." Matt turned up the volume. They watched as the talk turned from what Deerfield could do for Holmes' career and turned instead to what she could do for him. After several minutes of hesitation, the young woman finally agreed. "We don't really need to watch the rest of this do we?" The PI looked at the other two.

"No." Hoyt looked disgusted. "What about emails?"

"I haven't gone there yet."

"See if there are any more videos like that with Tessa Holmes in them first." He motioned to the filing cabinet. "That was pretty much worthless. Mostly nude pictures and contracts for movies – most of which I've never heard of before. I'd say they never got any further than that filing cabinet and his imagination."

"I've found a couple of entries in the date book for Tessa – last night included. The meeting was set for 12:45AM. Strange time for a meeting." Rich tapped on the book. "There's no mention of anyone else that we've heard of so far except for Perrier. That was for a week ago yesterday."

"When the boat docked at the marina." Matt and Hoyt said it at the same time.

"Yep." Rich looked around the office. "Hoyt, I'm turning this over to you. I think I'll be more useful looking through the wreckage and working that angle. You two are covering this side well enough without me."

"Okay, I'll call you." Michael took the book.

"Let me know what CJ finds, okay?"

"I'll do it. See ya later." Houston nodded and went back into the computer. After finishing the video files the PI moved on to the emails. "Michael, there are several messages between Deerfield and Tessa." The cop came back around the desk. "Look – the first one here is from a week ago." He opened the message from Tessa and both men read it.

_**Ted,**_

_**I don't care about the press coverage. My career is dead in the water anyway if I keep making your garbage films.**_

_**Tessa**_

"Sounds like blackmail." Hoyt nodded as Matt scrolled down to Deerfield's reply.

_**You better remember who you're working for, princess. He won't take no for an answer.**_

"The plot thickens." Matt moved to the next message that was on the list.

_**I don't care what he says. This could be just the boost my career needs.**_

The response had been almost immediate.

_**He wants to meet with you Thursday at 12:45AM. The usual place. Be there or else.**_

Standing back up straight Hoyt looked at the PI. "She was there and got the "or else" anyway." Pulling his phone from his pocket, he called for a CSI to come get the evidence.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

"Well that's…a mess." Rich Holt was on his way back to his office. "So you waited until I left to find the good stuff, huh?"

"Sure." Matt chuckled. "Talk to you later." He hung up and yawned again as Hoyt cursed at the traffic on the way to Deerfield's house. "We may need some hazmat suits; if his office was that disgusting can you imagine what his house is like?"

"Tell me about it." The lieutenant pulled up in front of the house on Rangley Avenue. "Well I'm not impressed." Both men got out of the car.

"I'm not either." Matt looked at the tiny lawn in front of the garishly painted house and burst into laughter.

"What?"

"There." The PI pointed at a fountain.

"What about it?"

"Take a good look at the face." Matt was near tears, a condition that didn't improve when the sixteen year veteran of the LAPD started giggling.

Trying to regain his composure the cop spoke in a low voice. "Is that supposed to be him?!"

"It's either him or the ugliest rendition of Cupid I've ever seen." The PI lost it again and Hoyt snickered.

"Sure is a small fig leaf." The cop looked over at Matt who was wiping away tears after his friend's comment. "Can you make it to the door or do I need to carry you?"

"No, I'll make it." He straightened up and followed the cop up to the front door and the pair stood waiting as Hoyt rang the doorbell. "Too bad Rich isn't here." The PI started snickering again causing Michael to laugh.

"God, I hope there isn't anyone here. From what I've seen he didn't have anyone living with him." He knocked on the door and rang the bell again. "Okay, PI – do your stuff." Stepping back he watched as Matt donned a pair of gloves, knelt down and removed a set of lock picks from his left boot, squinted at the door and chose the pick needed before making quick work of the lock. They stepped inside. "LAPD – is anyone home?" The cop's voice echoed in the house. "Guess not." It was then that he heard a beep.

Matt turned to his left and found the security keypad. He pressed a few keys and it was silent. Kneeling back down he replaced the picks.

"How in the hell do you know what to push?"

"Ancient Chinese secret." The PI grinned as he started through the house. "Wu ting tu mush."

Hoyt stood dumbfounded. "What did the Ancient Chinese know about – oh!" He smacked Matt on the back of the head. The PI continued laughing.

"Looks like his home office." They walked into the room and began looking around, Matt going straight to the computer. As he went through the files Michael looked in the drawers and at the few books on the shelf.

The cop started for the door. "I'm going to check the den."

"Michael…" There was no humor in the PI's voice or his face. The cop joined him behind the desk. "The sick son of a bitch." Matt's voice had taken on the low gravelly tone.

"Damn." Hoyt shook his head. "Is it wrong that I really don't care who killed him?"

"I sure as hell don't." Matt turned and walked out from behind the desk. "Can you finish the computer?"

"Yeah, go ahead." Michel watched his friend walk out of the room. "Good thing he's already dead." He spoke low enough that Matt couldn't hear him. Knowing what the man had survived as a five year old kidnap victim he understood how upset he was to find child pornography on the computer. Cursing Ted Deerfield he finished looking at the files, not finding anything else.

The cop left the room and went into the den where Matt was squatted down looking at the baseboard. "Something interesting?"

"Uh huh." The PI stood up, running his gloved hands up the sides of the built in shelving and then across the top. There was a faint buzzing sound and then the shelves parted, revealing another room. Inside the ten foot by eight foot room were what looked to be thousands of DVDs. Matt looked at Hoyt. The cop shook his head and called the forensics lab.

"Bob, it's Michael Hoyt." He turned and walked back into the home office as he told the tech what they had found. "You're going to need some help."

"Okay Lieutenant – Cheryl just walked in. I'll let her know."

Hoyt came back to find a very angry Houston looking at the labels on some of the cases. "Everything I've seen so far is kids according to the titles." Matt walked out of the room and started going through the rest of the house.

Cheryl Crawford and Bob Wisnewski arrived and began processing the hidden room. Matt had been upstairs searching and walked right past the room and out onto the porch without saying a word to the two techs, who exchanged a puzzled look.

"Be back in a minute, Bob." Cheryl walked out on the front porch where Matt was sitting on the top step with his head on his arms. "Hey, Tex – you okay?" The tech took off her gloves and sat down next to him, patting him on the back.

"Yeah." Matt's voice sounded strangled.

"Liar. What is it?" She watched as Matt shook his head. "Is it the kids?" She lowered her voice as she put an arm around him. He slowly nodded his head. "Kinda makes you glad he's dead, doesn't it?"

Matt raised his head up and looked at her. "Yeah." Cheryl leaned over and gave him a hug before getting back up and going in to finish her job. Hoyt had been watching from the doorway. "I'm going to leave this to you and Bob. I think he needs to get out of here."

"Yeah, we've got it." She watched as Michael went out on the porch and put his hand on the PI's shoulder and jerked his head in the direction of the car. The two men got in and drove away.

"Feel like checking out Ramon Firenze's apartment?" Hoyt cut his eyes over at Matt who nodded his head. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to apologize for. I can't say that I'm sorry that the sick son of a bitch is dead, though."

"I agree one hundred percent." They rode on in silence to the apartment that was about a mile away from the marina. Michael found the property manager, a middle-aged woman named Isadora Nonna with flame red hair and a Russian accent thick enough to cut with a knife. She opened the door to Firenze's apartment for them and then quickly left. "Guess feelings about the police from the old country still run deep."

"Sometimes that's a good thing."Matt had found the mechanic's laptop and sat down on the couch to go through it. Aside from information on marine engine repair there was really nothing else in the document section.

The pictures file was another matter. "I think things just got more complicated." He waved the cop over and together they went through picture after picture of Ramon and Tessa. "Looks like they've been seeing each other for a few months now." Pictures of the two showed them at restaurants, out on boats, and on the very couch where the two investigators were now seated.

Afterwards, Matt went to the video file but nothing of consequence was to be found there.

"Check the emails." It took the PI a couple of attempts to find the accounts. "He's got one address that's strictly messages between Tessa and himself. The other is just day-to-day business." He opened up the mailbox and together they read through the messages from the first to last. Michael stood and began looking around the apartment again. "Sounds like they loved each other."

"Yeah." Matt closed up the machine and set it on the coffee table, once again closing his eyes and rubbing his temples.

"She's got stuff in the bathroom and bedroom: toothbrush, makeup, clothes." Hoyt was looking in the closet as Matt leaned against the doorframe.

"We should probably talk to his boss at the marina." The PI looked around the room, his eyes landing on a picture of the two that was on the mirror above the dresser. They were on a boat at the marina. "Is it just me or does she seem not to have been worried about being seen with this guy?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Michael closed up the drawer that he had been looking through. "I'm done here – you?"

"Yeah." The PI picked up the laptop and followed Hoyt out to the car where the machine was bagged and labeled. The two got in and went to the marina and found Firenze's boss, Jody Kelly, up to his elbows in an engine.

After showing his badge Michael began by asking about Firenze's work habits.

"Do you mind if I work while we talk? Ramon usually handles the…" Kelly stopped, clearly upset. "Damn it." He sat down on a stool and grabbed a clean grease rag and swiped at tears.

"Could you tell us about him? Did he have any enemies, get into any arguments lately?" Matt leaned against a small boat sitting on a trailer.

"No enemies that I know of, but he was arguing with somebody on the phone a few days ago. Don't know who it was but I can tell you it was a guy – he was yelling."

"What do you know about his relationship with Tessa Holmes?"

"You know about that, huh?" Kelly shrugged his shoulders. "She was married but she sure didn't try to hide Ramon. They went everywhere together. I guess she didn't care if anyone found out about the affair."

"Did you ever hear the two of them arguing?"

"Never." The mechanic got a sad smile on his face. "Those two were absolutely head over heels in love. I asked her about a month ago why she didn't just get a divorce. She said it was complicated."

Hoyt spoke up then. "What about Yvon Perrier – do you know anything about him?"

"He owns that boat that they were on. Never laid eyes on him before. He had some tall bald-headed dude that handled everything. Hang on – there's an invoice in here that he signed a few days ago." He walked into the office and rifled through a stack of papers. "Here."

Michael took it. "Something LaSalle. What do you think?" He passed it to Matt.

"Philippe maybe? There's a credit card number here."

"We need to take this." Hoyt looked at Kelly.

"Can I make a copy of it?"

"Sure."

Matt looked around the office. "What did you know about Ted Deerfield?"

"Mmph. He was a slimy bastard. Felt like I needed a shower whenever I had the misfortune of being around him. Smug, cheap, trashy…"

"Do you know if he ever argued with Tessa or Ramon?"

"Uh huh. He and Tessa were on Perrier's boat about a week ago and he hauled off and slapped her. Ramon saw it and decked him. Tessa got off the boat and left with Ramon."

"Did Ramon tell you what it was about?" Michael was writing it all down.

"Nope. That was the last time I saw Tessa. Deerfield, too. He left a few minutes later."

"Mr. Kelly, thanks for your help. If you should happen to see Perrier or LaSalle please call." Hoyt handed the mechanic a card as did Matt. "You can call either one of us."

"I'll do it."


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Back at Houston Investigations, CJ had finished running through the financial information on Holmes, Deerfield, Firenze, and Tripp. Her attempt to find out more about Perrier and his financial dealings was turning out to be difficult. She heard the elevator chime and then the voices of her husband and Michael. The two men came into her office and had a seat. "There's something hinky about Perrier."

"What did you get?" Matt leaned back on the loveseat and propped his legs on the end of it, rubbing along the sides of his thighs before tilting his head back and closing his eyes.

"A whole lot of digging. He's got five different corporations based in Washington State. Four of the five are supposedly import/export companies and the fifth is a film production company. I bet you can guess what kind."

"Uh huh." Matt rubbed his eyes. "Here's another name for you: Philippe LaSalle."

CJ began working the keyboard. "I've got a Philippe LaSalle that's employed by Perrier's production company." She continued searching. "He's got the same address as Perrier."

"Are there any pictures of them?" Michael got up and went around the desk. "Jody Kelly said that LaSalle was bald." He and CJ exchanged a look. "Matt, you might want to see this." The PI got off the loveseat and went behind the desk. "Perrier and LaSalle are the same person."

Easing back down on the loveseat, the PI rubbed his temples as he closed his eyes and tilted his head back, not saying anything for a minute. He reached for his phone and found the number for Alex Bateaux. "How ya doin', Fibbie?"

"Good. What's going on with you?"

"Michael and I could use some help." After putting the phone on speaker, he filled the FBI agent in on what had happened

"Okay, let me see if they're in our files…or should I say he? I'll check under both names." There was only the sound of a keyboard. "Huh…very interesting. Perrier and/or LaSalle is on Washington State's most wanted list and ours, too."

"We've got a credit card number but couldn't get much out of it. Wanna try?"

"Sure. Give it to me." Alex jotted the number down. "Let's see…" He began looking. "It's from a bank in Vancouver. Tell you what – I know a guy with the RCMP. Let me talk to him and I'll call you back."

"Thanks, bud." Matt hung up. "I've got a feeling that this creep is importing more than t-shirts or knick knacks."

"From what we've seen today you're probably right." Michael shook his head.

CJ looked over at Matt who had his eyes closed and head tilted back. "Got a headache, hon?"

"Yeah." He opened his eyes as she sat down on the edge of the loveseat and began massaging his neck like she usually did when he was having a headache.

"You don't seem to be out of whack this time. Want some coffee?"

"I'll get it." He started to get up.

"Nope. You stay put, Cowboy." She went into the main part of the office and Michael followed.

Keeping his voice quiet, Hoyt told her what had happened earlier at Deerfield's home. "Thanks for letting me know." They went back in and CJ gave Matt a couple of Tylenol and the cup of coffee.

"Thanks, Babe." His phone rang and he hit the speaker once again as he answered. "Yeah?"

"I just got off the phone with Rodney Sorenson of the RCMP. They have quite an extensive file on Perrier and he was quite interested to hear about the Philippe LaSalle alias. That one is being added to a list."

"So he collects aliases like some people collect baseball cards." Matt took a long sip of the coffee.

"Yeah. He's wanted on a laundry list of charges both in Canada and in the states. Child pornography, kidnapping, and he's also a person of interest in a couple of murders."

"And now three deaths here." Matt rubbed his temples again.

"I'm going to put out an APB on him here. We have no idea if he's still around here or if he's gone back to Seattle – or Canada." Michael shook his head.

"Alright. I'll let you know if I hear anything else."

"Same here. Thanks, bud." Matt disconnected the call. After rubbing his eyes again he looked at Hoyt. "This is a sure enough mess."

"It is." The cop pulled out his phone and called Luis Sanchez to get the APB put out. After giving the officer all of the information he added, "I want it statewide." He got off the phone as CJ came back in with a thermometer. "Uh oh."

She crossed over to where Matt was now asleep on the loveseat and placed the tip of the device in his ear. "102." Easing the coffee cup out of her husband's hand, she set it on the desk and returned back downstairs emerging a minute later with a quilt. After covering him up, she motioned for Michael to follow her and the pair went to the bar. "Carol called me earlier. Matt was one of twenty four of her patients who got a bad dose of the flu vaccine. Sixteen of them have come down with it in the last forty eight hours."

"He seemed fine up until about twenty minutes ago. Guess I better call and see if I got one, too. We were there together."

CJ shook her head. "I asked – she said you were fine."

"Thanks. You want me to take him home?"

"No, he's asleep now and that's about the best thing for him. I'm going to call Carol and let her know and then keep digging on this case and see what else I can turn up."

"If you two need anything just let me know." He gave her a peck on the cheek and left.

As he got into his car, Hoyt's phone rang. "What's going on, Jennings?"

"Just thought I'd let you know that Mr. Tripp and I are on the way to the station."

"Good. I'm leaving Houston's office." Michael started the engine. "Oh, and don't call him for anything – he's got the flu."

"Not good. Okay, see you in a few."

Michael hung up and hit Rich's number to let him know what they had come up with and about Houston. "No way – he was fine this morning. Damn."

"It just hit all of the sudden. He's crashed in CJ's office; his temp's 102."

"Wow. Okay."

"CJ is still working on it, though."

"Good. And I've got a little news. Part of what Houston found this morning was a timer and there was residue on some engine parts – dynamite."

"That isn't too easy to come by." The two talked on for a few minutes.

"Alright, we're making progress. Talk to you later." Rich hung up, thinking about how much things had changed since 2:00AM.

CJ looked through the information that they had so far on the case. Perrier or LaSalle – whichever name he was using – appeared to be the likely killer but the motive wasn't clear. She looked over at Matt as he stirred a little bit, the quilt that was covering him getting knocked off. Quietly she got up and covered him back up.

Sitting back down at her desk she turned down the volume on her phone just a minute before Chris stepped in. "Michael's on line one."

"Thanks." CJ pushed the button. "Hello again."

"I hope I didn't wake him up."

"No, he's out."

"Good. Rich called me." He passed on the information the fire investigator had found. "And I'm about to interview Daryl Tripp." He heard a noise in the background of CJ's office.

"Uh oh. I'll call you back." The lawyer hung up and headed down the stairs after Matt who just made it to the bathroom before throwing up. When he finished she helped him sit down on the weight bench. "Have you got morning sickness, Cowboy?" Giving him a smile, she felt his forehead. "Let's get you home, okay?"

"No." Matt shook his head and then immediately regretted it as a wave of dizziness washed over him.

"Carol called this morning. You got a bad dose of the flu vaccine."

The PI groaned. "I don't have time for this."

"You don't get a choice." She stood up. "Come on – let's go home." Stubbornly he shook his head no. "Matt, don't be obstinate." She jumped out of the way as he made another mad dash for the bathroom. When he was finished once again, she put an arm around her husband, guiding him up the stairs, first grabbing her purse and then leading him to the elevator.

"Feel better, Boss." Chris received a slight nod from the now extremely pale PI as he boarded the car.

CJ held onto her husband as he swayed slightly on the trip down, the elevator stopping at the twentieth floor where Murray Chase, CEO of Houston Industries boarded. "Hey, are you okay?" After hearing CJ's explanation, Murray shook his head. "I'm sorry to hear that. Whoa…here – put your arm over my shoulders." He reached for his former boss as Matt began swaying even more, his eyes now tightly shut against the dizziness. "Let me help you, Houston." Guiding the man out of the elevator and over to CJ's Navigator he could feel the heat coming off of him. After helping the PI into the passenger seat, Murray patted him on the shoulder. "Take it easy for a few days, okay?"

"Thanks." Matt leaned back in the seat as CJ fastened his seat belt and closed the door.

"Thanks, Murray. Guess I better give Sheila a heads up." Pulling out her phone and pushing the nanny's number on speed dial, CJ went around to the driver's side and got in, noticing as she did that Matt appeared to be asleep once again.

"Hello?"

"Hi. I thought I should warn you – we're on the way home. Matt's got the flu."

"Oh no, don't tell me he got one of the bad doses of vaccine. I saw it on the news earlier."

"Yep, he did. But everyone else around there is okay. I got Carol to check when she called me this morning."

"I'll be ready when you get here."

"Tell you what." CJ snuck a glance over at her sleeping husband. "See if Bo and Lamar can meet us. He was pretty unsteady in the elevator. Murray had to help him into the car."

"No problem."

Once they arrived at the ranch, Bo and Lamar were waiting for them along with Sheila. CJ got out and walked around to the passenger side and opened it. "Matt…sweetie…come on, baby, wake up for me." He finally began stirring and she helped him to turn in the seat.

"We'll take it from here, CJ." Bo stepped forward. "Come on, Houston. Let's get you inside so you can rest up." Matt got shakily to his feet and headed into the house with the help of his two ranch hands. "Where do you want him, CJ?"

"The bedroom. Let's put him on the side closest to the bathroom." She and Sheila went on ahead and pulled down the comforter and sheet taking his shirt off before he lay back on the bed. "Thanks guys."

"No problem. You just let us know if y'all need anything." Lamar headed for the door followed by his friend.

"Okay, Mike Hammer – let's get your temp." Sheila gave CJ a look. "He's asleep already, bless his heart."


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

"Mr. Tripp – Lt. Michael Hoyt. I'm sorry for you loss." The cop had a seat across from the screen writer in the interrogation room. Lee Jennings came in with three cups of coffee and sat down.

"Thank you." Daryl Tripp had shoulder length hair, a fuzzy beard, and glasses. He also seemed nervous to Hoyt.

"There were two other people with your wife when she died."

"Oh?" Tripp didn't really seem surprised.

"That isn't surprising to you is it?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"I'm sure you do; you already knew that she was having an affair." Tripp nervously sipped at the coffee. "Would you like to tell us about your marriage and the affair?"

"I don't…" The screenwriter stopped when he saw the expression of both cops. "Okay, yes – I knew about the affair but it was okay."

"Most married couples tend to frown on that, Mr. Tripp." Lee put his cup down on the table. "Are you trying to tell us that it was an open marriage?"

"Yes…no…well, kind of." Tripp took another almost delicate sip. "Tessa and I had a marriage of convenience. We loved each other, but we weren't IN love with each other. More like a brother and sister kind of relationship." He looked between the two cops. "Okay, my grandfather is somewhat well off. I'm in his will, but unless I'm married I won't receive my inheritance."

"Uh huh." Hoyt took a long sip and continued to stare at the man and remain silent, a technique that Houston often employed. For some reason people seemed to feel the need to keep talking when met with a silent stare.

"We – Tessa and I – met on the set of "Bellar High". We had a connection right away. Like a brother and sister. She understood the problems that I was going through." The two cops continued to stare at him. "I told her things that I couldn't tell anyone else." He put the cup down and put his hands on the table. "I'm gay. My grandfather thought that by denying my inheritance he could change my mind. Tessa and I married to help each other out: I would get my inheritance and she would look more mature and marketable to the studios and networks."

"Because when the show was cancelled she was having a hard time finding roles." Lee nodded and sipped his coffee.

"Exactly. We were both happy. I picked up a couple of short term jobs on a couple of TV shows and she did a couple of movies."

"Movies that didn't do very well at the box office." Michael chimed in.

"They didn't even break even. It wasn't her fault – the writing was terrible."

"Ted Deerfield wrote and produced them."

"He did – and failed miserably on both counts. Deerfield is a used up porn actor who thinks he's Mr. Hollywood. The man doesn't care how or who he hurts to get what he wants." Tripp took another sip of coffee. "He even made her have sex with him before he agreed to put her in those two flops. She cried and cried over that."

"So what about the affair – or maybe you would rather call it her other relationship?" Michael decided to leave out the fact that Deerfield was dead as well.

"His name is Ramon Firenze." He smiled. "He's absolutely perfect for Tessa. After I get my inheritance they're…they were…" Tears began falling. "I miss her already." He wiped them away.

"Mr. Tripp, Ramon Firenze was on the boat with her." Hoyt watched as the man broke down in front of him.

"They were perfect together. Have you ever known two people who were so in love that if one of them died the other probably wouldn't survive?" Hoyt and Jennings exchanged a look and nodded, both thinking about CJ and Matt. "That's them." He lost it again. The two cops let him go for a minute.

"Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt either of them?" The lieutenant finished his coffee.

"Deerfield – the son of a bitch!" Tripp screamed. "He's got to be the one who did it."

"Deerfield is dead, too; he was also on the boat."

"He had something to do with it. The man was pure evil."

Lee left the room and brought back a box of tissues and slid them over to the screenwriter.

"Mr. Tripp, Det. Jennings will take you home, but we may have to speak to you again." Hoyt stood up.

"Anything you need, Lieutenant." The man blew his nose once again as Michael walked out the door and went to his office.

"Lieutenant, CJ's on line three." Sanchez put down the receiver.

"Thanks Luis." Michael sat down behind his desk and punched the button. "How's he doing?"

"He's having a rough time. We're at home. How did it go with Tripp?"

Hoyt leaned back in the chair and propped his feet up as he explained what had transpired.

"I was wondering about the marriage. That answers a few questions. So he was convinced it was Deerfield until you told him that he was dead, too."

"I don't know of anyone yet who liked Ted Deerfield one iota. If Houston could have put hands on him today he would have died again."

"Well Matt's still on the case – he was talking about it a little while ago, but I'm not sure he was actually awake."

"Tell him I said feel better soon – wait until you know he's awake." The cop gave a chuckle. "I'm really leaning toward this LaSalle/Perrier guy."

"I'm going to keep looking around to see what else I can find on our mystery man."

"Okay, take care of him." Hoyt hung up, knowing that Matt was not only being cared for by his wife but by Sheila as well. He was in good hands.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

Matt opened his eyes and found himself onboard a boat, a fifty foot yacht. He looked around and recognized that it was at the Marcos Marina. Looking down he saw that the decks were teak. Descending the flybridge and going inside he saw three bodies. The first was Ramon Firenze - the front of his t-shirt had a single hole ringed with blood and he appeared to have been shot directly in the heart. Next was Ted Deerfield who had a large bloody gash on his temple. Last he saw Tessa Holmes sprawled toward the back of the salon, the left strap on her dress torn exposing her bra. Several of her fingernails were broken and there were bruises on her face, arms, and legs. Her lower extremities were exposed. Turning slowly, Matt noticed the older man's pants were unfastened. A bottle of red wine was spilled on the white carpet right next to his head.

Suddenly the PI awoke to find CJ and Sheila on either side of him, both applying cold wash cloths. "CJ, Deerfield attacked Tessa and raped and strangled her. Firenze found them and hit Deerfield on the head with a wine bottle. I don't know who shot Firenze, though. Maybe LaSalle."

"Shhh, easy baby. Your temp is really high right now. Just take it easy."

"Here, take these." Sheila raised his head and helped him to take two pills.

"Call Michael and tell him." Matt's eyes shone with the fever that was racking his body.

"I will later. Right now I'm worried about you."

"No, tell him now." Matt was trying to sit up and reach for the phone but his whole body felt weighted down.

"Not now. It's two in the morning. Just calm down - I'll call him as soon as he gets to the office. I promise." Gently she pushed her husband back on the bed.

"'Kay, Babe. Love you."

"I love you, Cowboy. Now just try to go back to sleep." She kept bathing his face with a cool rag as he closed his eyes. He mumbled a few other words and then drifted back off.

"What was he talking about?" Sheila got up to get a fresh basin of cool water as CJ explained the case that they were now working on.

"What he's saying makes perfect sense but we won't know for sure until the autopsies are done."

"So he dove in that cold water and pulled that fireman out. Unh unh unh." Smiling, she began applying the cold compresses again. Both women fell silent. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." CJ wrung out the washcloth again.

"Something bad happened to him when he was a kid and that sent him down the path that he's on now, didn't it?" CJ nodded but didn't reply. "I guess that's one way to fight demons – by getting rid of any bad guys that he runs across."

By 5:00AM Matt's fever had dropped considerably and he was sleeping soundly as was CJ who had her head on his chest and an arm thrown over his belly. Sheila covered up the couple and went back to her room for a couple of hours of sleep before Catey was likely to awaken.

Waking up about 7:00, CJ left a still sleeping Matt and went to the kitchen for coffee. As she started by the nursery she heard Catey talking to Tilly. Carefully, she peeked into the room to find the pair playing a modified version of hide and seek with the dog disappearing under the crib and Catey crawling around trying to spot her playmate. "Good morning, you two." She entered the nursery and took a jabbering Catey out of the crib and changed her before heading to the kitchen.

Sheila emerged from her room a short time later and followed the sound of the baby's laughter to the kitchen. "You two sure are having fun." She watched as Catey shared her cereal with Tilly, laughing every time the dog caught the treat. "How's the patient?" She poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.

"Much better. His temp is down to 100°." CJ took a sip of coffee and looked at her cell phone. "Michael is probably in by now." She punched the number as Sheila handed Catey a sippy cup. "Hi Luis…He's doing a little better this morning…I'll tell him when he wakes up…Uh huh, if he's there. Thanks." She took another sip.

Michael hung up his jacket. "Good morning."

"Yes it is – much better than last night." She explained what Matt had wanted the detective to know.

"I just got the reports from the ME. Let's see if he's right." He read through the reports for all three. "CJ, he nailed all three of them. There was DNA from Deerfield found in Tessa Holmes's body and under her fingernails and his hands were a match to the bruises on her neck. And the bullet that killed Ramon Firenze was a .32 by the way. There's nothing in there about a wine bottle but Matt collected one yesterday that had a little blood still on it."

"He'll be relieved. You almost got a phone call at 2:00AM. If he hadn't been too weak to sit up you would have."

"Turnabout's fair play – I call him in the middle of the night. It sounds like Miss Catey Rose is in good form this morning."

"Tilly, too." She took another sip. "I think he's right about LaSalle killing Firenze."

"I do, too. We'll see if there's a hit in IBIS on the bullet."

"I'm going to see if I can get into his corporations today."

"Just be careful."

"Funny – that's what I always tell Matt."

"You know what they say – guilt by association."

"Then you're guilty, too. Talk to you later."

Sheila took Catey and Tilly outside to play after breakfast while CJ took a quick shower and then quietly settled on the bed next to Matt who was now face down and snoring. He woke up shortly after she sat down and after an unsteady trip to the bathroom and a few sips of sports drink, he asked if she had told Michael what he had figured out. While she was telling him about the conversation and working on getting into one of Perrier's corporations, he once again started snoring. Reaching across him to the bedside table she picked up the thermometer and checked him once again. "101." Sighing, she pushed back the curls on his forehead before leaning over and kissing his cheek.

Turning her attention back to Arnaud Import/Export, the lawyer-turned-PI kept trying to find a way into the company's inner workings. She finally found a chink in the armor via their internet provider but was now faced with a password that her password program couldn't seem to breach. Slipping carefully off of the bed, she went to the kitchen and brewed herself a cup of peppermint tea, a beverage that she had become quite fond of during her pregnancy with Catey. It had only been a couple of weeks since she and Matt had started trying to get pregnant again but she was sure that she was.

Heading back into the bedroom CJ smiled as she saw Matt. The way he was laying with his left hand at his chin looked exactly like Catey. She eased back onto the bed and looked at the names of Perrier's corporations. All were French. Taking a sip of her tea once more, the PI narrowed the word choices for the password program to include only words of French origins. After looking through the list that was generated she picked one at random: _mot de passé_ – meaning password. "Son of a gun." Smiling, she shook her head as she began delving through the files now available to her.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

"Easy now." CJ followed along behind Matt as he made his way into the den three days later.

"So what else have you found out?" The cowboy eased down into his recliner.

"Michael is on his way over here to talk to us about what's going on. You need to settle down and wait for him."

"But…" He was shushed by his wife.

"If you don't behave you're going back to bed." Sheila entered the den carrying a glass of water and two Tylenol. "Take your meds."

"I'm a grown man and I'll do what…"

"You'll do as you're told or I'll call Michael and tell him not to come by here." CJ gave him the raised eyebrow look. The two locked gazes. "Your choice, Cowboy: what's it gonna be?" He looked between the two women, considered the odds, and then flipped up the footstool on the recliner. "Good choice."

"Are they ganging up on you, PI?" Michael and Lee walked into the den.

"You have no idea." Matt was still shooting the two women dirty looks.

"No, I've got a very good idea: I've been listening since you got in here." The two cops snickered.

Tilly came into the den from the nursery where she had once again been watching over Catey. The half Blue Heeler-half Husky laid her head on Matt's knee and he patted his leg, signaling to the dog to come up. "Tilly, they're pickin' on me." The dog worked her way up the recliner and lay down between her master's legs, her head and right paw resting on his thigh. "So what all do we have?"

"Two deaths solved: Tessa Holmes and Ted Deerfield – just like you said. He raped and killed her; Ramon Firenze bashed in Deerfield's skull with the wine bottle that you found."

"And what about Perrier or LaSalle – whatever he's calling himself these days?" The cowboy reached down and was scratching behind Tilly's ears.

"That's where we hit a snag." Michael and Lee both took a seat and CJ brought in a pot of coffee and five mugs. "CJ managed to get inside of his corporations and found out just how dirty he is."

Looking to his wife, Matt took the mug of coffee that Sheila handed to him, his hands still slightly shaky. "Thanks. So…what did you find?"

"The majority of his imports and exports involve porn. He's been doing business with some of the top producers in Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam, Russia…all over the world."

"But nobody can find him – is that it?"

"Exactly. He must have found out that his operations had been hacked…" The lieutenant motioned to CJ. "Yesterday he shut down everything and disappeared before the Washington State Police raided his home and the businesses. He's in the wind."

Matt sipped on the coffee and thought. "You know he's going to show up again don't you?" His tone was very quiet, the anger in his voice unmistakable.

"I'm sure he will. But for right now…" The cop shrugged.

"Right now we wait." The PI drank the coffee as he thought about how to catch the elusive predator.


End file.
